March is upon us already and with it the Christian celebration of Easter. It is sometimes interesting to me how Christians sometimes want to fight over foolish things, sometimes making foolish arguments seem so important. One of those traditional fights has been over Easter Sunday, for, after all, didn’t it arise out of pagan roots? In fact, one argument against celebrating Easter is “We don’t want to celebrate Easter because we do not want to mix special Christian traditions with pagan holidays. Perhaps my answer is too simple for some, but my suggestion to those who do not wish to mix paganism with Christianity is, “THEN DON’T.” You see our Christian faith is a matter of the heart; not the appearance, so if we celebrate the resurrection as a matter of the heart; it is not our problem if others confuse it with something pagan. In fact, I see that as THEIR problem, not mine.
Arguments surrounding the origins of Easter are all around. Some say the origins came out of Pagan Deities who names sounded a little like the word “Easter.” Interestingly, some pagan goddesses did have names that sounded a little like the word Easter, but these name arose out of a variety of cultures and yes, even several languages, but there is no real justification for linking those words to the word Easter.
The word Easter also had some English roots as well as German roots but each came squarely out of the concept of the resurrection.
Beside all this, let’s suggest for a moment that our celebration of Easter did somehow evolve out of pagan religions. Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing that God would allow us to convert the secular into something sacred, and isn’t that part of what we are all about?
My friends, the entirety of Christian faith rests in the resurrection of Christ. If the resurrection is not true than neither is the rest of the Bible, and our faith would be in vain, but the resurrection IS true and there are many evidences of that fact, so let me recommend something that the Apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy:
Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. NIV (2 Tim 2:23-26)
“HE IS RISEN”…”HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
I invite you to come join us on Sunday in the fellowship of loving and caring people! God bless.
Pastor Jim
Arguments surrounding the origins of Easter are all around. Some say the origins came out of Pagan Deities who names sounded a little like the word “Easter.” Interestingly, some pagan goddesses did have names that sounded a little like the word Easter, but these name arose out of a variety of cultures and yes, even several languages, but there is no real justification for linking those words to the word Easter.
The word Easter also had some English roots as well as German roots but each came squarely out of the concept of the resurrection.
Beside all this, let’s suggest for a moment that our celebration of Easter did somehow evolve out of pagan religions. Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing that God would allow us to convert the secular into something sacred, and isn’t that part of what we are all about?
My friends, the entirety of Christian faith rests in the resurrection of Christ. If the resurrection is not true than neither is the rest of the Bible, and our faith would be in vain, but the resurrection IS true and there are many evidences of that fact, so let me recommend something that the Apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy:
Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. NIV (2 Tim 2:23-26)
“HE IS RISEN”…”HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
I invite you to come join us on Sunday in the fellowship of loving and caring people! God bless.
Pastor Jim